Arias, Constantino

Cuban, 1920-1991 Havana

BiographyConstantino Arias was a Cuban photographer known for his black and white photography during the 1940s and 1950s. Before the Cuban Revolution (1953-1959), Arias worked as the house photographer at Havana’s Hotel Nacional, struggling to make ends meet. His candid images captured Havana's underworld, including scenes of gambling, sex work, and politics, but due to strict media censorship under President and military dictator Fulgencio Batista, most of these photographs were never published.
In 1961, Arias graduated from the School of Journalism at the University of Havana and joined the photographic laboratory of Bohemia magazine. His work offered a rare, comprehensive portrayal of Havana society, especially during the pre-revolution era. These photographs were later brought to light by cinematographer and photographer Mario García Joya (Mayito) and his wife, photographer, historian, and critic María Eugenia Haya (Marucha). Arias received several awards from the Cuban Journalists’ Union between 1972 and 1980 for his historical reportage.